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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

"While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me" (2 Samuel 12:22-23)

Well, this is certainly not the news I was expecting to give today. After my doctor's appt yesterday at 10 weeks I was supposed to be joking about having Irish Twins - 2 babies born a year apart - and how I'd have 2 babies in diapers, etc. Instead, the doc told me that the baby I carry died about 3 weeks ago and that I will miscarry in the next 1-2 weeks.

The Bible says that life begins at conception and teaches a kind of "age of accountability", if you will, for we are condemed by rejecting Jesus, yet infants and children up to the age of knowledge (of understanding truly about right and wrong - different for every child) are not capable of rejecting Jesus.

King David, when faced with the death of his baby with Bathsheba in infancy, wrote that verse above. He believed that he would be reunited with that baby.

I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me

King David knew the baby, having died, could not come back to this life, but he believed that he would go to him. I believe the same as King David.

I will await the day when I am reunited with this precious life inside of me in heaven and I will love the children I have here on this earth even more.

I will praise God, even in the midst of this heartbreaking storm, because He is who He is and His ways are not our ways nor His thoughts our thoughts.

I don't know why. I don't understand. All I can do is trust and have faith that God had a reason and while I may never know it here on earth, I will know when I am Home.

Does it stop the tears or the questions? No. But it gives me a measure of peace that I would not otherwise have.

Oscar and I leave on Friday evening for Nevada for a week-long getaway with his mom and stepdad, one that is now much more needed than ever. Chances are good that I will miscarry while I'm up there. I would rather do it there than here at home with the kids around.

I'll be taking a break next week while we are gone.

From the time I knew of you, little one, I loved you and wanted you. I might not have gotten a chance to know you here on earth, but I will have eternity to know you in heaven.

"Praise You In This Storm"~Casting Crowns~

I was sure by nowGod You would have reached downAnd wiped our tears awayStepped in and saved the dayBut once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rollsI barely hear Your whisper through the rain"I'm with you"And as Your mercy fallsI raise my hands and praise the God who givesAnd takes away

And I'll praise You in this stormAnd I will lift my handsFor You are who You areNo matter where I amAnd every tear I've criedYou hold in Your handYou never left my sideAnd though my heart is tornI will praise You in this storm

I remember whenI stumbled in the windYou heard my cry to youAnd you raised me up againMy strength is almost goneHow can I carry onIf I can't find You

But as the thunder rollsI barely hear You whisper through the rain"I'm with you"And as Your mercy fallsI raise my hands and praise the God who givesAnd takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hillsWhere does my help come from?My help comes from the LordThe Maker of Heaven and Earth

Sunday, April 25, 2010

This is so wrong but so funny! Comedienne Jolene Roxbury does the most hilariously inappropriate OB/GYN Answering Machine Message. Oscar and I went to a friend's BBQ today and two of the guys started quoting this. We had to look it up when we got home. Got a huge laugh out of it.

Hope none of y'all have a SUIT. (You'll understand if you listen to it) LOL!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

"...do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 (b)

There is a commandment in that verse and an exhortation.

Do not sorrow. I don't know about you, but when it says "do not" in the Bible, I certainly pay attention. It is a commandment from the Lord to NOT do something that is displeasing to Him. Do not sorrow.

No matter what you are going through in life, God is commanding you to not sorrow, don't be sad, don't grieve, don't be disappointed or depressed. Just . . . DON'T!

But why?

Because the joy of the LORD IS our strength! His joy is ours. If we delight in what the Lord delights in and keep that as our main focus, instead of looking for the negative, then how can we be sad or depressed when it comes to life?

There are a lot of things wrong with this world, but that's because this is a fallen world, filled with fallen people, run by the great deceiver, temping, luring, enticing everyone to do the wrong thing and tricking them into thinking it is the right thing, only to have those people ensnared by feelings of "how could I have...?", guilt, sorrow, anger, unworthiness, misery, etc. once they realize the wrongness of their actions/behavior/attitude. Haven't you heard? Misery loves company and the devil is the most miserable wretch of all!

But what if we "turn our eyes upon Jesus"? What if we learn to love what He loves? What if we train ourselves to delight in what He delights in? I think it's very clear that we will gather strength from His joy when we are flagging and falling behind and feeling sorry for ourselves, our circumstances, just feeling sorry in general.

Instead of depression, peace.

Instead of anger, happiness.

Instead of grief and pain, contentment.

Instead of sorrow, joy.

Once we learn to see things as God sees them, our world view, our lives, our personalities, our emotions will be radically changed! We will gather the strength we need to get through this life because of the joy of the Lord as we focus on the right things.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His Glory and Grace"

The joy of the Lord is my strength,the joy of the Lord is my strength,The joy of the Lord is my strength,the joy of the Lord is my strength.

He heals the broken hearted and they cry no more,He heals the broken hearted and they cry no more.He heals the broken hearted and they cry no more,the joy of the Lord is my strength.

He gives me living water and I thirst no more,He gives me living water and I thirst no more.He gives me living water and I thirst no more,the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Are you willing to let the joy of the Lord be YOUR strength today? Because, honestly? I can't see any other kind of strength enduring through the tough times and trials of life other than the strength of God. Can you? Find your joy in Him today and see how wonderfully He can change your life!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

“If monotony tries me,and I cannot stand drudgery;if stupid people fret me andlittle ruffles set me on edge;if I make much of the trifles of life,then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If: What Do I Know of Calvary Love? by Amy Carmichael

Ah, patience. It is a virtue. So they say.

Some days I don't feel very virtuous. Do you?

I know it is hard to be patient when the phone is ringing, one kid is running around the house screaming, one kid is incessantly trying to talk your ear off and the baby is crying and meanwhile, hubby is watching TV, seemingly oblivious to it all.

Those are the Calgon moments. Remember those commercials? Woman comes home after a stressful day. Wants nothing more than to escape. She fills the bathtub, puts in Calgon bubble bath and as she slips under the water she pleads, "Calgon! Take me away!" and suddenly she is whisked into this peaceful presence and place of serenity.

Don't you wish it worked that way in real life? I know I do sometimes.

Or what about the day to day tedium. Same routine. Day in. Day out. Ad nauseum. Do you ever wish for some exciting adventure to come along and whisk you away from the doldrums in which you find yourself?

How about the stupid drivers in rush hour traffic? Come on, you know the ones. I know that you have one incident in your mind. What about that driver who doesn't want to wait for the line of traffic and drives on the shoulder or in the turn lane and then tries to weasel their way in (RIGHT. IN. FRONT. OF YOU!) at the light? Or the teen (or adult) illegally texting or talking on the phone and almost causing several wrecks by virtue of not paying attention? Aren't there times you just pray for a cop to be around to catch them in the act?

I know I have. I must confess. One of my biggest pet peeves is stupid, slow, inattentive drivers! I have precious cargo. I AM precious cargo. In traffic, almost nothing pushes my hot button faster than bad drivers.

What about running late for a meeting, or dinner, or movie, or anything that you have scheduled that is important to you because of someone else? Doesn't that just irk you no end? I'm sometimes a minute or two late to things because of my own interruptions and reasons, but when someone else makes me late to something I want to do, I find myself sometimes biting my tongue to keep from snapping and saying something I'll regret.

What do we do when the stress is too much to bear and the patience is running thin and we just can't seem to find any respite from it? What do we do when we are so bored in our lives and seek diversion in some way? (A true trap to fall in to as Satan lies in wait to snare us due to boredom!) How do we react to the outside influence of others in our lives that rub us the wrong way or make us late, or say the wrong thing or make a fool out of themselves when they're with us?

How are we supposed to act?

John 13:34-35 states "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

And Mark 12:31 says that the second greatest commandment is to 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 'There is no commandment greater than [these]."

What? You mean I have to love others even when they have pushed me to my limit? Even when they have wronged me? Even when I am the one doing the right thing and they're doing all the wrong things? Even when I am stressed BEYOND my limits and nobody is helping me to do anything? Even if I don't know them and they don't know me and they're acting like a jerk?

God says YES! Even then.

Let me tell you a story. One of my co-workers, who goes to my church, was talking about how they were on their way to one of the Sunday services and this other driver starts acting like a real jerk. Traffic for this Sunday was kind of heavy – I think it was like a Capitol 10K run or something like that – and this driver was speeding and cutting people off, honking and ended up flipping someone else off as they cut in front of my co-worker. Imagine my co-worker's great surprise to see that very car turn into the church parking lot in front of him! How in the world were others supposed to "know that this person was Jesus' disciple" through their witness? If anything, their actions said otherwise!

What about the boredom? When we find ourselves bored in our lives, we haven't been spending enough time with God. God will certainly give us peace, contentment, fulfillment, etc. When we get bored, we tend to hedge over into doing the wrong things as Satan puts them out there before us. Life with God is never a dull moment. There are moments of rest and respite and peace, but they're never truly "dull". Being bored is a great way for Satan to sneak in under our radar and infiltrate our lives in such a manner that we have no clue that it's even happening until it's too late.

Calvary love. What is it? By my definition, it is loving others as God has loved us. It is loving ourselves as God has loved us. If we truly love each other and ourselves as God has loved us then we will truly value the other person and see them as God sees them.

If we love others as God loves them, it is harder to get angry and frustrated and use words that are not seasoned with grace when we speak to them. If we love others as God loves them, we won't spoil our witness for Christ. Instead we will have a more pleasant home, a more harmonious relationship with our family and spouse, with our friends. We will be the living example of the kind of person God desires us to be and with that witness, draw others to Him.

If we love ourselves as God loves us, then we will find it hard pressed to be bored in our day to day routines as we discover new lessons that God is teaching us daily in order to grow us in Him. We will not find ourselves even tempted by the snares the devil tries to throw in our path to keep us or steer us from what God's plans for us are.

With Calvary love, we see the world in a whole new light. And when we see things as God sees them, we find ourselves more inclined to act and behave as servants, disciples and followers of God and we can change the world for Christ. One Calvary love encounter at a time.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. ~Isaiah 40:31

So many adjustments in my life happening lately. Some days I just don't know where to begin! These past several months have definitely been an exercise in faith and trusting God for His provisions. How grateful and thankful I am to God for all of His abundant blessings! There is no way that I ever would have been able to do this on my own or on our own without God's help. As my regular readers know, my hard-working husband has been out of a job since October. With me as the sole wage earner for the past several months, including maternity leave from work, there is no way to have made ends meet without God's help but we've made it so far. Now we have to face several other challenges in our lives.

Oscar has a job interview tomorrow. This is a job that I have been praying for for him and it meets ALL of the specifics. It's just been a very long time in coming. I do believe that from the time he applied to this interview it's been about 2 months. The decision might even be another week or so. Oscar's difficulty is selling himself, even though he's so knowledgeable and passionate about what he does, it all comes down to self-esteem. He and I have been practicing the top 25 interview questions, and some of them are pretty tough but he's doing great so far! I just pray that he won't freeze up come tomorrow b/c when he gets a question that he can answer easily, he SHINES in the answer and you can almost feel his enthusiasm for the work that he's done. I know that this is the job that God has for Oscar, I feel it so clearly and have been praying for it for so long.

Also, this new pregnancy is one that is going along pretty good so far even though I have had to get on high blood pressure medication b/c my BP is way too high. And I still have the diabetes issues that will most likely cause me to go back on insulin during this pregnancy. My concerns about this pregnancy are twofold. I know that work can't fire me for getting pregnant again for the 2nd time in a year, believe me, neither one was planned other than by God, but I still have the normal concerns as usual about the amount of time for being off on maternity leave for the 2nd year in a row could be an issue. I know not really, but just preggo nerves showing on that one. And I'm working on a major move at work. Think major move of about 200 people, in waves, between floors over the period of a week and I am the main point of contact between those moving and those in charge of the move. The point of contact for questions and challenges. I worked Monday and yesterday when I was sick as a dog with a stomach virus that is going around right now. Why? B/C it's my job. I can only pray that God sees fit to allow me to keep this job that I simply love, love, love doing. Plus we need the insurance. And concern #2, affording daycare at $900+ a baby.

We are going to have to move in with my mom temporarily, or maybe long term. 7 people in a house that is less than 1200 square feet. That will be nothing short of a challenge! My mom has discussed quitting her job at the end of my maternity leave to take care of both babies, which, thank God, would be such a burden lifted. We would be the one paying all the bills at the house, which is fine by me, and she would cook every night (keep the food expenses WAY down!) and teach the babies until they could get into a private school as I absolutely refuse to send them to a public school. However, that is not set in stone yet. In reality I wish more than anything we could afford for me to be a stay at home mom and I would homeschool, but that's a wish. In this economy it has to be a two family income, especially with multiple kids...

I had one credit card, which, when it came down to figuring out whether to keep the vehicles to drive and food in our bellies as opposed to paying $300+ a month on the card, it was no contest. Sadly, that has now been turned over to collections b/c, frankly, there was just no extra money to pay it. So we'll have to figure out what to do there. God will provide. He always does. But in the realm of everything else, that has been the only negative.

The one thing that this has really taught me is that God is good ALL the time, even when we can't really see it. There is not enough thankfulness, joy or love in my heart to express how fully and completely I feel about all that He has done for us.

This time of trial and tribulation has also been a time of growth in our family. Growing closer to each other and growing closer to God. I know that this has strengthened my faith and trust in God to where I doubt nothing anymore. I may have little worries from time to time, but I always remember that GOD PROVIDES! And He will continue to do so. If He cares for the sparrows, how much more does He care for His own children and give good to them? We may not see the good as what WE want it to be, but it is always the good that is what is best for us in God's eyes, and that is the only good that matters.

I still have so much in my own life to change and I am a daily work in progress. One of my favorite saying as a kid that came on a "Holly Hobby" spiral notebook (remember Holly Hobby?) is "Please Be Patient, God Isn't Finished With Me Yet". And the day that He is finished with me, the day that I am complete, will be the day that He calls me home. I know that are things that I need to change and I just have to put my stubborn self to the side and get out of God's way. LOL! After all, it's the very least I can do for all that He has done for me. :-)

With God I've learned that I can keep going a whole lot longer than I thought I could. He has renewed my strength. He renews it daily. I keep walking, I keep trusting and I do not grow weary. I have learned to wait on Him instead of doing what I want. How GREAT Thou art, Lord! How great Thou art...

"Oh, Lord, my GodWhen I in awesome wonderConsider all the works Thy hands have madeI see the starsI hear the rolling thunderThy power throughoutThe universe displayed.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

“God can use small ingredients to make big miracles happen:fabric and thread to lift hope in the sick,five loaves and two fish to feed five thousand hungry people,and faith the size of a mustard seed to move a mountain.Shouldn’t we give all that we have to Godjust to see what He might do with it?”What I Learned from God While Quiltingby Ruth McHaney Danner & Cristine Bolley

So many people think that God cannot use them to reach others for one reason or another. How silly is that!?Let's forget the "things" that God uses and instead think about people as the ingredients. Let me give you a list of the unlikely people that God used to bring about His will.

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...

Adam and Eve brought sin into the worldNoah was a drunkAbraham was too old and a liarIsaac was a daydreamer Jacob was a liar and a thiefJoseph was abusedMoses had a stuttering problem and was a murdererGideon was a cowardSamson was a womanizer and a covenant breakerRahab was a prostitute who committed treason when she protected the Jewish spies against her governmentJeremiah and Timothy were too youngDavid had an affair and was a murdererElijah was suicidalSolomon was the result of an affairIsaiah preached naked Jonah ran from GodNaomi was a widowJob went bankruptMary was a teenager who got pregnant out of wedlock and gave birth to Jesus, Savior of the worldJohn the Baptist ate bugsPeter denied Christ, was quick tempered and had a "potty" mouthMatthew was a tax collector The Disciples were uneducated fishermen, crooked tax collectors, anarchists, dishonest, stiff necked, unbelieving and fell asleep while praying Martha worried about everythingThe Samaritan woman was divorced, more than onceZaccheus was too smallPaul was too religious (and, As Saul, he killed Christians before he became one)Timothy had an ulcer...AND Lazarus was dead!

And yet they all were used by God to accomplish great things. So really, what excuse do you have? God can use you to your full potential if you turn yourself over to Him fully and TRUST Him to know that what He is doing, what He is using you for is what is best. So many times we try and second guess God and where He is leading us. Once again, read the list. He used some of the worst people to bring about His will and look at the amazing results! How much more can He do with you and your small faith? What gifts has He given you that you can use to further His kingdom and reach others for Christ?

God's will always gets accomplished. The question is, "Are you in? Do you want to be used by God to bring about His purposes?"

I do.

I'm really happy to know that I'm qualified to start now, just as I am.

Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.

To view other perspectives on this In Other Words quote, please visit our hostess this week Mama's Little Treasures.

Friday, April 09, 2010

1. In 1992, I was young (18), blissfully ignorant and having a blast in life...and I wouldn't go back even if I could. Blissfully ignorant isn't all it's cracked up to be.2. My son and daughter give me a world full of laughter and smiles. 3. Do what you need to, with what you have, where you live, in order to make your world a better place for everyone.4. Right now, in the Caribbean/Bahamas/Mexico/Islands with my husband is where I'd like to be. 5. The trees and flowers are telling me SPRING HAS SPRUNG! (Thankfully I don't have allergies from them!).6. The never-ending love you carry for your family is something that just keeps going on.7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing my awesome friend Mari that I haven't seen in something like 3 years, tomorrow my plans include spending time with my son and husband, cleaning and getting things together to pack for moving and Sunday, I want to go to church and then watch Sherlock Holmes and relax on the couch!

If you want to participate in the Friday Fill-In, go visit the delightful Janet at Friday Fill-Ins. :-)

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

wretch n.1. A miserable, unfortunate, or unhappy person.2. A person regarded as base, mean, or despicable3. a despicable person4. a person pitied for his misfortune

Wretch, what an awful sounding word and an even more horrible description. Who wants to be pitied? Who wants to be regarded as a miserable, unfortunate, unhappy or despicable person? Not me!

And, yet, that is exactly what we all are. If we could see ourselves draped in the mire, muck and slime of our sins, that is exactly the kind of person we would see. We may think that, "oh, just because I don't have that kind of sin that he does, I'm not as bad of a person."

WRONG!

The Bible says in Romans 3:23, "for ALL have sinned and (ALL) fall short of the Glory of God". None of us are "good enough" to get to heaven on our own. Not one of us is "better than" the sinner beside us. Sure, we may not have committed adultery, or killed someone, but we all have lied and put something or someone else before God. And, the Bible says that whosoever looks at another person with lust in their hearts has already fornicated/committed adultery with them. The Bible also says that whosoever has hatred in their heart for their fellow [man], it is as if they have committed murder in their hearts.

Ouch! That doesn't sound so good does it? So, according to the Word of God, even if we haven't physically committed adultery or murdered, if we have those thoughts and feelings in our hearts, it's like we have done it anyway.

How can we expect God to forgive us if we do not forgive those who have wronged us? How can we, with a clear conscience, go before God and ask Him to forgive our sins if we do not forgive those against whom we have been holding a grudge.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

It's SO IMPORTANT that it is in the Lord's Prayer. It is in the model of the prayer that we are to emulate when we pray, yet, very few churches are teaching that these days. Forget being a wretch in those churches! You can FEEL GOOD about yourself and your sins. Who needs to repent in order to stop being that wretch the song talks about? God's here to give you what you need, what you want, what you desire. He's not here to condemn you, He's here to love you and make everything ok! He's the new "Dr. Feelgood"!

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

The message of the Gospel is that WE ALL ARE SINNERS. Nobody is better than the other. In the eyes of God we all are wallowing in our sins, much like pigs wallow in their own filth.

The difficult thing is when the churches teach in error what Salvation is about. So many people go down the wrong road and are led there purposely by those who are supposed to be leading the flock.

Wonder why we don't have any huge revivals anymore? Why there are not people on fire for the Lord like they were in the time of Jonathan Edwards, Charles and John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon and Dwight L. Moody? Because most churches these days are not willing to talk about SIN or the need to REPENT or the dangers of HELL. Those are such . . . uncomfortable words to those who are lost and they're supposed to be! For unless we know just how lost we are, how can we know what we must do to find our way to God? He, who is the compass by which we should be directing our lives by.

My dear blogfriend, Esthermay, who is our hostess this week, has the most outstanding perspective on the dangers of the "seeker" churches in regard to this quote. I highly encourage you to head over to her and read her post!

The best part is though, that it is God's GRACE that saves us all, if we but repent and believe that God will save us, that He sent His Son to die for ALL of us. The thief, liar, adulterer, murderer, cheater beside us; the thief, liar, adulterer, murderer, cheater inside of us.

Without His grace, we would continue to wallow in our own filth. Without His grace, we would forever be that wretch the song refers to with no hope in life or death for all eternity.

Gracen.1. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity a. the free and unmerited favour of God shown towards manb. the divine assistance and power given to man in spiritual rebirth and sanctificationc. the condition of being favoured or sanctified by Godd. an unmerited gift, favour, etc., granted by God

Grace is giving us what we do not deserve. Mercy is not giving us what we do deserve.

Grace, Grace, God's GraceGrace that will pardon and cleanse withinGrace, Grace, God's GraceGrace that is greater than all our sin

AMAZING GRACE how sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like me!I once was lost,But now I'm found.Was blindBut nowI SEE!

Monday, April 05, 2010

Have you been Saved? YesHave you been Baptized? YesWhich church do you attend? First Evangelical Free Church, Austin, TX Do you read your Bible daily? No. I should though. I'm going to work on reading through the Bible from Genesis to RevelationWhere is your Bible right now? Probably in Nate's diaper bag still from church yesterdayWhich version of the Bible do you read? NIV, KJV and NKJVWhat's your favorite book in the Bible? I don't have just one favorite. I like Psalms for the prayers to God and assurances, I like Proverbs for the wisdom, I like Daniel for the prophetic chapters showing us how the nations will be, I like Romans for the exhortation to Christians and the Christian life, I like Ephesians for the encouragement for Christian families and how we are supposed to act toward one another, I like Revelation b/c it tells us how the world ends and is very thought provoking as to how the Seven Lampstands representing the Seven churches of the day correlate to the Church after the death of Christ through present day.Do you listen to Christian Music OUTSIDE of Church? Yes, but not all the timeFavorite Biblical Person? John the ApostleWhy? He got to SEE the end of all things and the new heaven and new earth! He got to SEE what we can only guess about and read about until such a time as we are called HomeAnything you just don't understand? No. I wish I could say that I don't understand why the suffering, why the pain, but I do understand b/c it is brought about b/c of our sin nature.Would you name your child after someone in the Bible? I did. Emily's middle name is Abigail - who was one of King David's wives. Nathaniel was the youngest disciple of Jesus. If I have a girl, her name will be Hannah Grace and Hannah was the mother of the prophet Samuel. She was barren and asked God to bless her with a child and He did. Hannah means Grace of God. If this baby is a boy his name will be Jacob Thomas. Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah and twin brother of Esau. Jacob fathered 12 sons and a daughter, who became the ancestors of the nation of Israel, which is the name Jacob himself received after wrestling with an angel. And Thomas was one of the disciples of Jesus who was told to touch His wounds in order to believe it was really the resurrected Christ.Favorite passage? I don't have just one.Do you pray a lot? I definitely do, but not as much as I shouldDefine prayer: Prayer is a conversation with God, a dialogue of worship, praise, supplication, listening, pouring your heart and hurts out to Him, trusting Him that He hears and obeying the answers He supplies you with. The best prayers I've ever had are ones where I just come before Him and talk to Him like He was in the room with me.Are your friends Christians? Most are, yes. However, even Jesus ate with the non-believers, so I do have several non-Christian friends as well and try to be an example to them as well.What do you think of other religions? All I can say is that ONLY through Jesus do you get to heaven. By no other way, and that's what all other religions teach. They do not teach by Faith alone, through Christ alone, by Grace alone. There's always something else that must be done to "earn" one's place or a "better" place into heavenWhat is your strongest Spiritual Gift? Probably my encouragementDo you share the word of God with others? Not like open air preaching, but if someone wants to talk about their beliefs, I'm going to have a discussion with them about what I believe.Do you believe in Reincarnation? No. Hebrews 9:27 says: It is appointed for man to die ONCE, and after that face judgement.When was the last time you read the Bible? Read some scripture yesterdayWhen was the last time you went to Church? YesterdayDo you go to Sunday school? NoDo you participate in your Church activities? Some of them but I have a very busy life and kiddo bedtimes so I do what fits in to our family schedule apart from Sunday.Do you tithe? Not right now b/c we are trying to make ends meet.Do you think it's best to let your children find their own way No. It is best to teach them in the admonition and fear of the Lord so that when they grow up they will not stray from what they have been taught. It saves them a lot of pain in the long run. Trust me, I know only too well what happens when one strays.Do you believe in Heaven and Hell? YES!Do couples that pray together stay together? I believe so, yes. Do you find yourself in tears quite often in Church? Only sometimes. More often, I get goosebumps over something our pastor has said that resonates with me.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Before I get into this final principle for Resurrection Sunday, I want to post one more video from Sandi Patty, entitled, "Was it a Morning Like This?" Was it a morning like this one when Mary Magdalene and Peter and John found the tomb empty? Found that Jesus had risen from the dead, defeating death and hell itself, ensuring our victory over death and the power of hell if we are believers in Jesus as not only the Son of God but God Himself?

He is RISEN . . . Alleluia! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

The resurrection is central to the Christian faith. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, then Christian beliefs don't amount to much, since Jesus Himself said that He would be raised from the dead on the third day. On the other hand, if Jesus did rise from the dead, all His claims are true and we can know for sure that there is life after death.

A large volume of evidence exists to support the resurrection claims. In fact, there is more legal-historic evidence (the kind used in courtrooms) for the resurrection than there is for Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo or proof that Julius Caesar ever lived. There are several reasons why those who have studied the resurrection are convinced beyond a doubt that it is true.________________________________________Jesus Himself foretold His death and resurrection, and these events came about exactly as He had predicted.

John 2:19-21 "Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.' The Jews replied, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?' But the temple he had spoken of was his body."

John 10:17 "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again."

John 16:16-22 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.' Some of his disciples said to one another, 'What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?' They kept asking, 'What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying.' Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, 'Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy..."

Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Matthew 16:21 "From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

Luke 18:31-33 "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again."________________________________________The event is well-documented by numerous reliable, historical sources.

Historians such as Josephus (c.37-110 AD), Ignatius (c.50-115 AD), Justin Martyr (c.100-165 AD) and Tertullian (c.160-220 AD) were convinced of the authenticity of the resurrection. Their writings validate the accounts of the Gospel writers, who, according to leading biblical scholarship, recorded the event as soon as 37 AD and no later than 64 AD.

In addition, other first and second century historians including Cornelius Tacitus, Suetonius, Plinius Secundus, and Lucian of Samosata acknowledged the impact this incredible event had on the people of the time.________________________________________The resurrection is the only plausible explanation for the empty grave.

Roman soldiers closely guarded the tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Moreover, the grave's entrance was sealed by an enormous boulder. The Roman guard, which was usually composed of 16 members, would have made it impossible for the disciples--who, by the way, were cowering in fear for their own lives--to steal the body. If, as some have claimed, Jesus was not dead, but only weakened, the guards and the stone would have stopped his escape. After being beaten and flagellated, hung on a cross for six hours, pierced by the spear of His executioners to ascertain His death, and wrapped, as was the custom, in 100 pounds of linen and spices, Jesus would have been in no shape to roll a two-ton stone uphill, outwit 16 Roman soldiers and then appear radiantly to His disciples.

The Jewish leaders of the day could easily have refuted all claims of the resurrection by simply producing a body, but they were unable to do so because there was no body.________________________________________There are numerous eyewitnesses to the resurrection.

After He rose from the dead, Jesus appeared at least ten times to those who had known Him and to as many as 500 people at one time. These appearances were not hallucinations; Jesus ate and talked with His followers and they touched His resurrected body. Their experiences were not delusions.

Luke 24:36-39 "While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.'"

John 20:26-29 "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"

In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, the Apostle Paul wrote, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."________________________________________The resurrection is the only reasonable explanation for the beginning of the Christian movement.

The Christian church was born in the very city where Jesus was publicly killed and buried. The belief in a resurrected Jesus had to be authentic to take root in Jerusalem and grow to encompass the whole world. The Christian church is now the largest institution that exists or has ever existed in the history of humanity. Clearly, this would have been impossible if the resurrection was a fabricated story.________________________________________The resurrection is the only logical explanation for the transformed lives of the disciples.

They deserted and even denied Jesus before His public trial; after His death they were discouraged and fearful. They did not expect Jesus to rise from the dead. Yet, after His resurrection and their experience at Pentecost, these same discouraged, disappointed men and women were transformed by the mighty power of the risen Christ. In His name, they turned the world upside down. Many lost their lives for their faith; others were terribly persecuted. Their courageous behavior does not make sense apart from their conviction that Jesus Christ was truly raised from the dead--a fact worth dying for.________________________________________Throughout the centuries, most great scholars who have considered the proofs of the resurrection have believed, and still believe, that Jesus is alive.

After examining the evidence for the resurrection given by the Gospel writers, the late Simon Greenleaf, an authority on legal issues at Harvard Law School, concluded: "It was therefore impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually risen from the dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other fact." Mr. Greenleaf was a Jewish professor who became a believer in Jesus the Messiah after studying the facts for himself.

Is Jesus still interested in us? What does it mean to have a personal relationship with Christ, and in what way does it impact our lives? And how does someone go about making that kind of commitment?

Those are good questions, and typical of someone who understands the significance of Jesus. Here is some information to help answer these and other questions you may have about Jesus.________________________________________Because of Jesus' resurrection, His followers do not honor a dead founder

They have a vital, personal relationship with Him. Jesus Christ lives today and faithfully enriches the lives of all those who trust and obey Him. Throughout the centuries, multitudes have acknowledged the worthiness of Jesus Christ, including many who have greatly influenced the world. French physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal spoke of people's need for Jesus when he said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, which only God can fill through his Son Jesus Christ."________________________________________So, in light of the God-shaped vacuum that might be inside of you right now, how can you know Jesus more personally?

Because of God's deep love for you, He has already made all the necessary arrangements. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you can enjoy a personal relationship. Jesus made it possible to bridge the chasm which separates us from God. The following four principles will help you discover how to know Jesus personally and experience the abundant life he promised.________________________________________

PRINCIPLE 1

God LOVES you and created you to know Him personally

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

What prevents us from knowing God personally?________________________________________

PRINCIPLE 2

Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God].

Romans 8:6-8 "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God."

A great gulf separates man from God. Man is continually trying to reach God and establish a personal relationship with Him through human efforts, such as living a good life, philosophy, or religion. But he inevitably fails.

The third principle explains the only way to bridge this gulf...________________________________________

PRINCIPLE 3 Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love

Romans 5:8 "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

1 Corinthians 15:3-6 "Christ died for our sins... he was buried... he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures... he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred..."

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

But it is not enough just to know these truths...________________________________________

PRINCIPLE 4 We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; then we can know God personally and experience His love

John 1:12 "As many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name."

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith. This does not depend on anything you have achieved, it is the free gift of God; and because it is not earned no one can boast about it."

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (a spirit of repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and make us what he wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.

Jesus Christ is waiting for an invitation to come in to your life. In fact, he says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in" (Revelation 3:20).

Perhaps you can sense Christ knocking at the door of your heart. You can invite him in by faith right now. God knows your heart so it doesn't matter exactly what words you use. Here's a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it right now and Jesus Christ will come into your life just as he has promised. Once you invite Christ into your life, he promises to never leave you. You can never be alone if you have God in your life.

Hebrews 13:5 "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"

To know God personally is the greatest decision you will ever make.

If you just prayed that prayer, then you need to tell someone that you trust about your decision. If you don’t have anyone that you trust to tell, then ask God for guidance to bring someone in your life that you can trust.

He LIVES! He LIVES!Christ Jesus lives today!He walks with meAnd talks with meAlong life's narrow way.He LIVES! He LIVES!Salvation to impart.You ask me how I KNOW HE LIVES?HE LIVES WITHIN MY HEART!

Saturday, April 03, 2010

THe past two days we have gone over WHY Jesus had to die and WHO was He and HOW He fulfilled Biblical Prophecy. To delve a little deeper into the person and Godhood of Jesus we are going to go over some of the key claims of Jesus that He made about himself.

________________________________________

THE CLAIMS OF JESUS________________________________________

He claimed to live a sinless life

Jesus could look at a crowd of people angry at his claims to share God's nature and ask, "Which of you can point to anything wrong in my life?" Even more amazing is that none of them could give a reply! No human being has ever lived a sinless life, except for Jesus.

John 8:28-29 "So Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.'"

John 8:46-47 "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."________________________________________

He claimed to be the ONLY way to God

Not one of several ways, but the one and only way. Not to teach the way, but to be the way to God. Nobody has ever made claims like that before and backed them, but Jesus did through his love, balanced life, and miracles.

John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."

Matthew 11:27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Note: No other world religious leader, such as Buddha, Confucius, or Mohammed ever made this claim.________________________________________

He claimed to have shared the glory of God in Heaven

Jesus claimed to have pre-existed the people he spoke with. The apostle John--who shared bread with Jesus--wrote that Jesus was with God in the very beginning, and that "all things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being." (John 1:1-5)

John 17:5 "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."

This is a claim distorted by groups like the Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses.________________________________________

He claimed to be able to forgive sins

One of the reasons that the Jewish leaders were so angry with Jesus was his continual practice of forgiving people's sins. The religious leaders understood clearly that since sins were rebellion against God Himself, only God could forgive sins.

Luke 5:20-21 "When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.' The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, 'Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?'"(emphasis: web author)

Luke 7:48-49 "Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' The other guests began to say among themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?'" ________________________________________

He claimed to be a Heavenly king

Luke 22:69 "But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God."

Luke 23:1-3 "Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, 'We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.' So Pilate asked Jesus, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' 'Yes, it is as you say,' Jesus replied."

John 18:36-37 "Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.' 'You are a king, then!' said Pilate. Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'" ________________________________________

He claimed to be able to give everlasting life

He didn't just tell people how they could find everlasting life, or deepen their own life experience. He actually claimed to give life himself.

John 6:40 "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 6:47 "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life."

John 10:28-30 "I give [my followers] eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die...'" ________________________________________

He claimed that He would die and come back to life

John 10:17 "Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

John 12:32-33 "'But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.' He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die."

John 16:16 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

Luke 18:31-33 "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up into Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.'" ________________________________________

He claimed that He would return again to judge the world

Matthew 24:27-30 "So as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man... At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory."

Matthew 25:31-32 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats."

Mark 14:61-62 "Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"

Jesus clearly claimed to be both God and Messiah.

Declaring that He was God so angered the religious and political leaders of his day that they had Him crucified. They buried Him in a borrowed grave, and three days later, He rose from the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus is what makes Christianity unique and radically different from Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Judaism, and Islam. In fact, the validity of Christianity hinges on the proof of the resurrection of Jesus. If the resurrection never took place, then the Christian faith is based on a lie and people have no true hope for life after they die. But if it is true, then we can do nothing else but accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and receive His gift of love and forgiveness.

Throughout the centuries, most great scholars who have considered the proofs of the resurrection have believed, and still believe that Jesus is alive.

Tomorrow, we will go over the proofs for the Resurrection. It is always darkest before the dawn, and the dawn of Sunday showed the proof of the empty tomb, the Resurrection of Jesus...the VICTORY over death! HALLELUJAH! HE IS RISEN!

Friday, April 02, 2010

Most people believe that Jesus existed but there are differing answers as to just who they think He was. Most people say that He was just a good man, a teacher or a prophet, instead of actually being the Son of God. There is no doubt that He is the most influential person who ever lived. Yesterday, we discussed why He had to die. Today we are going to explore the probability that Jesus was who He said He was.

Some people claim Jesus was a great teacher. Others think he's a prophet. Some dismiss him as a liar or even a madman. Millions hail him as Savior and Lord. Whatever people think of him, nobody can deny that he stands at the very crux of human history.

The biblical record of his life shows that Jesus was born to a virgin, lived a sinless life, taught throughout the Palestinian region for about three years, was crucified and then rose back to life three days after his death. The Bible claims that more than 500 people saw him alive after this miraculous event. How could a mere man have lived such a life? The miracles Jesus performed, his death on the cross, his resurrection, his ascent to heaven--all point to the fact that he was no ordinary leader.

Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth, prophets predicted his coming. The Old Testament, written by many people over a period of 1,500 years, contains more than 300 such prophecies, 456 to be exact. All of these details came true, including his miraculous birth, his sinless life, his many miracles, his death and his resurrection.

The reason why prophecy is an indication of the divine authorship of the Scriptures, and hence a testimony to the trustworthiness of the Message of the Scriptures, is because of the minute probability of fulfillment.

Anyone can make predictions. Having those prophecies fulfilled is vastly different. In fact, the more statements made about the future, and the more the detail, then the less likely the precise fulfillment will be.

For example, what's the likelihood of a person predicting today the exact city in which the birth of a future leader would take place, well into the 21st century? This is indeed what the prophet Micah did 700 years before the Messiah. Further, what is the likelihood of predicting the precise manner of death that a new, unknown religious leader would experience, a thousand years from now - a manner of death presently unknown, and to remain unknown for hundreds of years? Yet, this is what David did in 1000 B.C.

Again, what is the likelihood of predicting the specific date of the appearance of some great future leader, hundreds of years in advance? This is what Daniel did, 530 years before Christ.

If one were to conceive 50 specific prophecies about a person in the future, whom one would never meet, just what's the likelihood that this person will fulfill all 50 of the predictions? How much less would this likelihood be if 25 of these predictions were about what other people would do to him, and were completely beyond his control?

For example, how does someone "arrange" to be born in a specific family?

How does one "arrange" to be born in a specified city, in which their parents don't actually live? How does one "arrange" their own death - and specifically by crucifixion, with two others, and then "arrange" to have their executioners gamble for His clothing (John 16:19; Psalms 22:18)? How does one "arrange" to be betrayed in advance? How does one "arrange" to have the executioners carry out the regular practice of breaking the legs of the two victims on either side, but not their own? Finally, how does one "arrange" to be God? How does one escape from a grave and appear to people after having been killed?

Indeed, it may be possible for someone to fake one or two of the Messianic prophecies, but it would be impossible for any one person to arrange and fulfill all of these prophecies.

John Ankerberg relates the true story of how governments use prearranged identification signs to identify correct agents:

David Greenglass was a World War II traitor. He gave atomic secrets to the Russians and then fled to Mexico after the war. His conspirators arranged to help him by planning a meeting with the secretary of the Russian ambassador in Mexico City. Proper identification for both parties became vital. Greenglass was to identify himself with six prearranged signs. These instructions had been given to both the secretary and Greenglass so there would be no possibility of making a mistake. They were: (1) once in Mexico City, Greenglass was to write a note to the secretary, signing his name as "I. JACKSON"; (2) after three days he was to go to the Plaza de Colon in Mexico City and (3) stand before the statue of Columbus, (4) with his middle finger placed in a guide book. In addition, (5) when he was approached, he was to say it was a magnificent statue and that he was from Oklahoma. (6) The secretary was to then give him a passport.

These six prearranged signs worked. Why? With six identifying characteristics it was impossible for the secretary not to identify Greenglass as the proper contact (John Ankerberg, John Weldon and Walter Kaiser, "The Case for Jesus The Messiah", Melbourne: Pacific College Study Series, 1994, 17-18).

How true, then, it must be that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, if he had 456 identifying characteristics well in advance, and fulfilled them all! In fact, what does the science of probability make of this?

The science of probability attempts to determine the chance that a given event will occur. The value and accuracy of the science of probability has been well established beyond doubt - for example, insurance rates are fixed according to statistical probabilities.

Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College, Peter Stoner, has calculated the probability of one man fulfilling the major prophecies made concerning the Messiah. The estimates were worked out by twelve different classes representing some 600 university students.

The students carefully weighed all the factors, discussed each prophecy at length, and examined the various circumstances which might indicate that men had conspired together to fulfill a particular prophecy. They made their estimates conservative enough so that there was finally unanimous agreement even among the most skeptical students.

However Professor Stoner then took their estimates, and made them even more conservative. He also encouraged other skeptics or scientists to make their own estimates to see if his conclusions were more than fair. Finally, he submitted his figures for review to a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation. Upon examination, they verified that his calculations were dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented (Peter Stoner, Science Speaks, Chicago: Moody Press, 1969, 4).

For example, concerning Micah 5:2, where it states the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah, Stoner and his students determined the average population of BETHLEHEM from the time of Micah to the present; then they divided it by the average population of the earth during the same period.

They concluded that the chance of one man being born in Bethlehem was one in 300,000, (or one in 2.8 x 10^5 - rounded),

After examining only eight different prophecies (Idem, 106), they conservatively estimated that the chance of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies was one in 10^17.

To illustrate how large the number 10^17 IS (a figure with 17 zeros), Stoner gave this illustration : If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take 10^17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They'll cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would've had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them in their own wisdom (Idem, 106-107).

In financial terms, is there anyone who would not invest in a financial venture if the chance of failure were only one in 10^17? This is the kind of sure investment we're offered by God for faith in His Messiah.

From these figures, Professor Stoner, concludes the fulfillment of these eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of the prophecies (Idem, 107) - the likelihood of mere chance is only one in 10^17!

Another way of saying this is that any person who minimizes or ignores the significance of the biblical identifying signs concerning the Messiah would be foolish.

But, of course, there are many more than eight prophecies. In another calculation, Stoner used 48 prophecies (Idem, 109) (even though he could have used Edersheim's 456), and arrived at the extremely conservative estimate that the probability of 48 prophecies being fulfilled in one person is the incredible number 10^157. In fact, if anybody can find someone, living or dead, other than Jesus, who can fulfill only half of the predictions concerning the Messiah given in the book "Messiah in Both Testaments" by Fred J. Meldau, the Christian Victory Publishing Company is ready to give a ONE thousand dollar reward! As apologist Josh McDowell says, "There are a lot of men in the universities that could use some extra cash!" (Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, California: Campus Crusade for Christ, 175).

How large is the number one in 10^157? 10^157 contains 157 zeros! Stoner gives an illustration of this number using electrons. Electrons are very small objects. They're smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 TIMES 10^15 of them, laid side by side, to make one inch. Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute, and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one-inch long (Stoner, op. cit, 109).

With this introduction, let's go back to our chance of one in 10^157. Let's suppose that we're taking this number of electrons, marking one, and thoroughly stirring it into the whole mass, then blindfolding a man and letting him try to find the right one. What chance has he of finding the right one? What kind of a pile will this number of electrons make? They make an inconceivably large volume.

This is the result from considering a mere 48 prophecies. Obviously, the probability that 456 prophecies would be fulfilled in one man by chance is vastly smaller. According to Emile Borel, once one goes past one chance in 10^50, the probabilities are so small that it is impossible to think that they will ever occur (Ankerberg et. al., op. cit., 21).

As Stoner concludes, 'Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact, proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world (Stoner, op. cit., 112).'

God so thoroughly vindicated Jesus Christ that even mathematicians and statisticians, who were without faith, had to acknowledge that it is scientifically impossible to deny that Jesus is the Christ.

By his own account, Jesus claimed he had the power to forgive sins, to cast out demons, and to determine people's eternal destiny. He even declared he himself was God!

In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."

Jesus could only have been one of four things: a legend, a liar, a lunatic--or Lord and God. There is so much historical and archeological evidence to support his existence that every reputable historian agrees he was not just a legend. If he were a liar, why would he die for his claim, when he could easily have avoided such a cruel death with a few choice words? And, if he were a lunatic, how did he engage in intelligent debates with his opponents or handle the stress of his betrayal and crucifixion while continuing to show a deep love for his antagonists? He said he was Lord and God. The evidence supports that claim.

Tomorrow we are going to discuss the Claims of Jesus.

As you ponder this Good Friday, remember that He died for YOU. His death was our gift. The Gift of Salvation for all who believe and accept it. There are no strings attached. It's a gift freely given to one who will freely receive. Can you imagine anyone else who would give that kind of a gift for you?

John 3:16: For God SO LOVED the world (you, me, your friends and loved ones, your neighbors, strangers in foreign countries and, yes, even your enemies), that He gave His ONLY Son (to be the sacrifice for our sins in order to live in Eternity with Him), that whosoever believes in Him (as the Son of God and accepts Jesus as their Savior) shall not perish but have EVERLASTING LIFE (even though our bodies may die, our souls live on and it is YOUR choice where you end up for Eternity – do you choose Eternal Life or Eternal Death and Torment?).

My thanks to my dear friend, Jack, of the Omega Letter for writing this. Part of what is in here we discussed that in yesterday's post regarding the Abrahamic Covenant that was between God and Abraham and his descendants but will post it again here as it is essential to this information.

According to Christian tradition, the Friday before Easter is called "Good Friday" because it is the day that Jesus Christ was crucified. GOOD Friday?

The Crucifixion most probably did not actually take place on a Friday, anyway. The Scriptures make reference only to the 'Sabbath' and there were two Sabbath days during that particular Passover week.

But it is on Friday that the world remembers, whether it wants to or not, that a Man was crucified on a hill called Golgotha outside the walls of Jerusalem for the sins of mankind.

If the world wants to remember it as a Friday, at least it is taking note of the event. Arguing about whether or not it actually took place on Wednesday or Thursday seems irrelevant to the central point.

Particularly in light of the way it remembers that day, as "Good" Friday. But what is so good about it?

I can recall as a kid growing up in a Catholic school thinking it more than a little strange that all those nuns said they loved Jesus, but celebrated the day of His execution as a "Good" day.

Indeed, as a kid, I thought the designation "Good Friday" was evidence that they really didn't LIKE Him very much, despite their protestations of love. My mother had passed away when I was only ten. I didn't think that the day that she died was a 'good' day for me.

There are lots of possible reasons why the day of Jesus' Crucifixion is designated "Good" in English. One is that the word 'good' was derived from the word "God".

Our word 'goodbye' came from the phrase "God be with you," so, according to that line of thinking, "Good Friday" would have originated from the phrase "God's Friday."

But I think it is less a case of the metamorphosis of language than it is an apt description of the Event that took place on that day just before the Passover two thousand years ago.

The execution of Jesus Christ was an event of incredible evil. He was guilty of no infraction, violated no laws, either Mosaic or Roman civil, and His betrayal was orchestrated, the Bible says, by Satan himself.

"And after the sop Satan entered into him [Judas]. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly." (John 13:27)

But while the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was an act of unspeakable evil, it was a necessary part of God's Plan for the redemption of our sin debt.

And the manner in which He accomplished was a demonstration of His Power over good and evil, using pure evil to bring about pure good.

"Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1st Corinthians 2:8)

But why was Good Friday necessary? We've gone over this before, but not in several years. Good Friday is the perfect day to revisit the topic. Why did Jesus have to die?

The Scripture says God's Justice demands a sacrifice, but for most Christians contending with the skeptic, that answer is unsatisfactory.

The explanation that only a sinless man was qualified to take on the sins of the world makes sense, but it doesn't answer the nuts-and-bolts question of why He had to die. Not fully.

The answer to the nuts-and-bolts legalities is found, not in the New Testament, but rather in the Old.

In Genesis Chapter 15, we find Abram questioning God's promise that his seed will be numbered as the stars of heaven and that they would inherit the land to which God had led him.

Genesis 15:6 says "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

It was then that God proposed a blood covenant after the manner of the Chaldeans.

"And he [God] said unto him, [Abram] Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

Abram knew what to do next. A Chaldean himself, this was something he was familiar with.

"And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not."

The blood covenant worked this way. The animals were slaughtered and cut up. The pieces were intermingled and then carefully arranged to form a kind of aisle through which the two parties to the covenant would walk together, hands joined.

The principle of a blood covenant, and the symbolism of the rended animal parts was clearly understood to Abram. Whoever broke the covenant would end up like those piles of animals.

A blood covenant was, by common custom, a joining of 2 or more persons, families, clans, tribes, or nations, where the participants agree to do or refrain from doing certain acts. More specifically, God had proposed a patriarchal covenant.

The patriarchal form of covenant is a self-imposed obligation of a superior party, to the benefit of an inferior party. In this form, the terms the parties use to refer to each other are: father and son.

God's proposal included not only Abram, but extended to Abram's seed forever.

(Galatians 3:29 makes plain that Christians are also "Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.")

To summarize, Abram has just prepared a blood covenant between himself and God in which his seed would forever be bound to God as heirs. To be an heir, under the implied terms of the covenant, also required being faithful to the Father. Abram understood those terms and waited for God to appear.

Consider the picture. Abram waited, driving away the carrion eaters from his grisly creation, waiting for God Himself to come down, join hands with Abram and together, they would swear a blood oath. God would be the Father of Abram and his descendents, who would then be required behave as sons to keep that covenant.

Genesis 15:12 records that, as Abram waited for God, a deep sleep fell upon him. During that deep sleep;"it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:" (Genesis 15:17-18)

And there's the key! While the covenant was between Abram and God, by passing through the aisle alone, God signed the contract -- alone -- for both sides, binding Himself to keeping both parts.

We know that Abram's seed did NOT remain faithful to the covenant. And violating the blood covenant demanded that somebody had to die. That was what justice required.

The Apostle Paul was, before his conversion on the road to Damascus, a Pharisee, or a religous lawyer, one well qualified to explain the law of covenant oaths.

As Paul explains, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:9)

Further, that "they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." (3:9)

And also, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith." (3:11)

Of the covenant that God signed on behalf of Abraham, Paul explains; "Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto." (3:15)

The covenant could only be confirmed when the price demanded for its violation was paid in full.

When the Law was given to Moses four centuries later, it was assumed by the Jews that to break it was to break the Abrahamic Covenant, for which the penalty was death. Remember, somebody had to die.

But since it was God Who signed on behalf of Abraham, Paul pointed out the blood penalty required of the covenant was paid in full on Good Friday.

"And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect."

Why did Jesus have to die? Because the covenant demanded satisfactory payment for its violation, and no one who had broken that covenant was qualified to stand in payment except those who signed it. Abram was long dead. And, in any case, it was God Who signed on behalf of Abram (and his seed).

It is for that reason that God stepped out of eternity and into space and time in the Person of Jesus Christ. To keep the provisions of the original covenant and be a true Son of Abraham, as it demanded.

Once having kept its terms on behalf of sinful humanity, it was incumbent upon Him to make payment, as justice demanded, for its violation by those on whose behalf the covenant was signed.

To be torn and rended like the animals that formed the corridor through which God alone passed.

To make restitution on behalf of the seed of Abraham. You. Me. And everyone who ever broke its provision of faithfulness. All of us.

Jesus made that payment on our behalf. On the Cross, as He gave up the ghost, Jesus cried with a loud voice 'it is finished' (Tetelestai!) meaning, "paid in full."

The terms of the violated Covenant were met, its price was paid by its Signer. God's justice was fulfilled. That is why Jesus took on a human form and allowed Himself to be crucified by His own creation. That is the reason the Blood of Christ is so precious. Why nothing less would do.

Because justice demanded it. And because justice was satisfied, a lost sinner need only accept the Pardon obtained at the Cross as full payment for his sins to obtain eternal life. Because of Good Friday, "Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord SHALL be saved." (Romans 10:13)

Our sin debt was paid in full on Good Friday. The only thing now separating God from man is human pride. Accepting by faith the pardon obtained for us at the Cross is a humbling experience.

We've noted in the past that God's way is not our way, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Indeed, God's way is usually the exact opposite of human thinking. Christians obtain victory by surrendering. We obtain eternal life through the Death of Christ, but to achieve eternal life one has to first die.

"Good" Friday is the day that commemorates the greatest evil ever perpetrated in the history of mankind. But as it turned out, it was the worst day possible for the forces of evil. It marked the first introduction of pure good to this old world since the Fall of Man.

"He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes WE ARE HEALED." (Isaiah 53:5)

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Before I get into that topic, which is, quite frankly, fascinating . . . In honor of Good Friday and The Last Supper (which would have been the night before Good Friday – tonight) I am loading one of my all time favorite songs from Sandi Patty called "The Via Dolorosa". I have had this song memorized for going on 25 years now, including the Spanish verse, and I sing it year round. There is no other voice that tells this story so well as Sandi's voice.

Isaiah 53 1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes His soul an offering for sin, He will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53 was written many centuries before Jesus was born, and yet, it tells of His death on the cross for our sins. And He willingly did it, so great was His love for us. So desirous of us to have eternal life with Him that He shed His blood, took the sins of the entire world, past, present and future, of ALL mankind, for all the sinners, us as well as the murderers, the liars, the cheaters, the adulterers, the thieves, and on and on. While we may view sin on a "sliding scale", God doesn't. We ALL are sinners. The only person who was ever perfect and able to be that sacrifice on our behalf was the Son of God, who left His realm of glory in heaven and humbled himself to become like us, as a son of man, in order to fulfill the Covenant that God made with Abraham so many years ago.

If I might be permitted, I will explain the Abrahamic Covenant and what it means for us and why Jesus was the fulfillment of that Covenant, who He was and, most importantly, why He had to die.

I will be breaking this up into 4 days:

Today: WHY did Jesus have to die? (An explanation of the Abrahamic Covenant)Tomorrow: WHO is Jesus and how He fulfilled Old Testament Bible ProphecySaturday: The Claims of JesusResurrection Sunday: WHAT is the Resurrection and WHY is it so important?

My thanks to the “Who Is Jesus – Really?” website, the biblebelievers.org.au website and my dear friend, Jack, at Omega Letter for helping me with the information contained in these next few posts.

Now we are going to discuss why Jesus had to die. This information comes from Jack Kinsella and the Omega Letter.

Why Did Jesus Have To Die?

Yesterday as we were coming home from church, my grandson Bailey chirped, "Gwandad!! Jesus died for you!" There was a pause and he said, "He died on a Cross because bad men put him there. He was covered with boo-boos!" (Being three, Bailey is not up on all the latest medical terms, but he knew what he was talking about) "An' He died for Mummy and for Gwandma and because He loves us."

I was absorbing all this as I drove when Bailey asked me the next logical question. "Gwanddad!" "Yes, Bailey." "Why did He have to die?"

When we got home, I tried to explain to a three-year old something that many adult Christians have difficulty explaining. Yet it is one of the first questions posed by the skeptic.

Why, indeed, if Jesus was God, did He have to die? To the skeptic, the whole Cross, Blood and death thing doesn't make any sense. I know many Christians to whom the answer is simply, "So He could be resurrected on the third day."

That was never a satisfactory answer when I was a skeptic, either.

This morning, instead of going over the usual state of global catastrophe, I thought it might be good if we were ALL equipped to give a reason for the hope that is in us.

The Scripture says God's Justice demands a sacrifice, but for most Christians contending with the skeptic, that answer is unsatisfactory.

The explanation that only a sinless man was qualified to take on the sins of the world makes sense, but it doesn't answer the nuts-and-bolts question of why He had to die. Not fully.

The answer to the nuts-and-bolts legalities is found, not in the New Testament, but rather in the Old.

In Genesis Chapter 15, we find Abram questioning God's promise that his seed will be numbered as the stars of heaven and that they would inherit the land to which God had led him.

Genesis 15:6 says "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." But Abram wanted a guarantee, nonetheless.

It was then that God proposed a blood covenant after the manner of the Chaldeans. "And he [God] said unto him, [Abram] Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

Abram knew what to do next, since this was something he was familiar with. "And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not."

The blood covenant worked this way. The animals were slaughtered and cut up. The pieces were intermingled and then carefully arranged to form a kind of aisle through which the two parties to the covenant would walk together, hands joined.

The principle of a blood covenant, and the symbolism of the rended animal parts was clearly understood to Abram. Whoever broke the covenant would end up like those piles of animals.

A blood covenant was, by common custom, a joining of 2 or more persons, families, clans, tribes, or nations, where the participants agree to do or refrain from doing certain acts. More specifically, God had proposed a patriarchal covenant.

The patriarchal form of covenant is a self-imposed obligation of a superior party, to the benefit of an inferior party. In this form, the terms the parties use to refer to each other are: father and son.

God's proposal included not only Abram, but extended to Abram's seed forever.

(Galatians 3:29 makes plain that Christians are also "Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.")

Are you still with me? Here's where we are so far. Abram has just prepared a blood covenant between himself and God in which his seed would forever be bound to God as heirs. To be an heir, under the implied terms of the covenant, also required being faithful to the Father.

Abram understood those terms and waited for God to appear. Consider the picture. Abram waited, driving away the carrion eaters from his grisly creation, waiting for God Himself to come down, join hands with Abram and together, they would swear a blood oath. God would be the Father of Abram and his descendents, who would then be required behave as sons to keep that covenant.

Genesis 15:12 records that as Abram waited for God, a deep sleep fell upon him. During that deep sleep, "it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:" (Genesis 15:17-18)

And there's the key! While the covenant was between Abram and God, by passing through the aisle alone, God signed the contract -- alone -- for both sides, binding Himself to keeping both parts.

We know that Abram's seed did NOT remain faithful to the covenant. And violating the blood covenant demanded that somebody had to die. That was what justice required.

The Apostle Paul was, before his conversion on the road to Damascus, a Pharisee, or a religous lawyer, one well qualified to explain the law of covenant oaths.

As Paul explains, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:9) Further. that “they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." (3:9)

And also, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith." (3:11)

Of the covenant that God signed on behalf of Abraham, Paul explains "Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto." (3:15)

The covenant could only be confirmed when the price demanded for its violation was paid in full.

When the Law was given to Moses four centuries later, it was assumed by the Jews that to break it was to break the Abrahamic Covenant, for which the penalty was death. Remember, somebody had to die. But God signed on behalf of Abraham, and Paul pointed out the blood penalty required of the covenant was paid in full.

"And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect."

Why did Jesus have to die? Because the covenant demanded satisfactory payment for its violation, and no one who had broken that covenant was qualified to stand in payment except those who signed it.

And God signed on behalf of Abram and his seed.

It is for that reason that God stepped out of eternity and into space and time. To keep the provisions of the original covenant and be a true Son, as it demanded.

And having kept its terms on behalf of sinful humanity, it was incumbent upon Him to make payment, as justice demanded, for its violation by those on whose behalf the covenant was signed.

To be torn and rended like the animals that formed the corridor through which God alone passed.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah (53:3)

To make restitution on behalf of the seed of Abraham. You. Me. And everyone who ever broke its provision of faithfulness. All of us.

Jesus made that payment on our behalf. On the Cross, as He gave up the ghost, Jesus cried with a loud voice 'it is finished' (Tetelestai!) meaning, "paid in full."

The terms of the violated Covenant were met, its price was paid by its Signer. God's justice was fulfilled. That is why Jesus took on a human form and allowed Himself to be crucified by His own creation. That is the reason the Blood of Christ is so precious. Why nothing less would do.

Because justice demanded it.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Thursday: The Last Supper: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is my body, given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper He took the cup of wine, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."

About Me

SO much has changed in my life since I last blogged regularly in 2010. I'm 39 now, single and trying to be the best mom I can be as well as doing the best I can for my unbelievably precious daughter who’s now 11 and my beautiful, inquisitive little man who turned 3 in November. I'm learning to live again with joy and happiness and a new lease on life. God has really been working in my life and BIG changes are in the works and I'm incredibly excited about them!
One of the changes is becoming a distributor and advisor for AdvoCare. After seeing what it did for me on the 24 Day Challenge (lost 15 pounds and an overall total of 32.5") I was sold, not only from the external physical results, but the internal ones as well. I've never felt so good!
As the Gary Allan song goes, "Life ain’t always beautiful but it’s a beautiful ride". I hope to take you along on the ride through my life as it changes and as I continue to change. I hope you stay a while and enjoy yourselves and maybe learn a little about coping with unexpected circumstances in life with the help of God. Come back soon!